The Sanitation and Water for All 2014 High Level Meeting

This event has concluded, view the replay below.

Join our webcast of the third Sanitation and Water for All High Level Meeting. The event brings together ministers responsible for finance, water, and sanitation in developing countries, as well as ministers of development cooperation from donor countries, high-level representatives from development banks, and representatives of leading sanitation and water agencies.

The Sanitation and Water High Level Meeting is held every two years, convened by UNICEF on behalf of the SWA Partnership and hosted by the World Bank.

Join us LIVE for a webcast on April 11th, 2014 from 2-4:30 p.m.

The objective of the 2014 meeting is to:

Outline an ambitious yet achievable vision for the sector

Link sanitation to economic growth and development

Communicate how finance ministers can best achieve ‘value for money’

Emphasize the importance of getting investments right – targeting inequalities and achieving sustainable and effective aid

Provide an opportunity for learning from successful cost-effective investments

Challenge participants to make water, sanitation, and hygiene a high priority in the post-2015 development agenda

Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, Republic of Kenya

Read what others are asking

Frans C. Verhagen, M.Div., M.I.A., Ph.D.

United States

How does the panel make the connections between water/sanitation, energy, food and climate? Given that dealing with an integrated approach to these five major areas demands trillions of dollars should we not start thinking medium and long term about transforming the global monetary, financial, economic and commercial systems? In particular should we not start discussing the transformation of the international monetary system that as glue binds together these global systems which support a world order that enriches the few, impoverishes the many and imperils people, species and planet? Do you think if we were to base the international monetary system on a carbon standard of specific tonnage of CO2e per person we would be moving in the right direction? The conceptual, institutional, ethical and strategic dimensions of such carbon-based international monetary system are described in the 2012 The Tierra Solution: Resolving the climate crisis through monetary transformation and updated at www.timun.net. The proposed system would have a global central bank made up of representatives of the present and future regional monetary unions. The Bank, unlike the present privately owned banking systems, would be the only one which creates money in quantities and qualities that are needed and that can be limitless. This so-called transformational financing would be able to democratically pay for the trillions of dollars that are needed in meeting the challenges of those five major challenges in this century. So, the main question becomes “Is your governmental, business or civil society organization willing to start discussing the notion of transformational financing as an integral part of a carbon-based international monetary system?

Arlo Montez

Haiti

I think that the effect on health of labor force and growth needs more attention. The High Level event on Health on April 11 does not even mention w & s . This is very strange, as if there are silos . Dr Kim, does the health sector in the World Bank work to improve access to clean water? Universal Health Coverage should include access to w&s, this is more important than doctors or insurance where resources are meager! (No offense to the medical doctors on the panel.)

Tara Joy

United Kingdom

How do world governments plan to secure the global water cycle and so provide sufficient water for universal access and sanitation ever?
How is water security going to be dealt with?Below is the advice given by UN Water Task Force. Will it be heeded and acted upon?
“Ensuring that ecosystems are protected and conserved is central to achieving water security – both for people and for nature. Ecosystems are vital to sustaining the quantity and quality of water available within a watershed, on which both nature and people rely. Maintaining the integrity of ecosystems is essential for supporting the diverse needs of humans, including domestic, agricultural, energy and industrial water use, and for the sustainability of ecosystems, including protecting the water-provisioning services they provide.” (U.N Analytical Brief 22/3/13)

Dr. Ashish Manohar Urkude

India

Hope Sanitation and Water will be provided to all human beings by 2050 A.D. Thus, they will be part of real human civilization and they will be treated as humans. Hope we've some concrete plan for that. Otherwise, I've started believing that my great-grand children will be asking the same question to the then President of WB and UN-SG. Hope this point will be touched by you'll Honorable members and decision makers of UNO bodies, in this all important high-level meeting, and will definitely leave a legacy for future generations.

NABAKISHORE PANDU (N.K.PANDU)

India

Health and sanitation is very very essential for the every body. if any one has no minimum water for sanitation purpose a the second is for drinking water
both are necessary for this purpose. Grass root level awareness if basic necessary to each and every body to fulfill the noble issues. participate for joint action to fulfillment the issue.N.K.PANDU, RESEARCHER CUM NBDP INDIA PLANER

Kamlesh Kumar

India

Any research undertaken to identify less expensive, cost effective easy to implement methods for disposal of sanitation waste in rural localities?

Paul Cebul

United States

Unity is paramount to our success with water and sanitation. How will the present parties assist with existing popular movements like Water for the Americas, a campaign that is journeying from Boston to Rio de Janeiro to petition that water and sanitation be acknowledged as fundamental human rights at the FIFA World Cup Final?

Will Rogowski

United Kingdom

We already have a wealth of data and knowledge as to the potential and disastrous future scenarios and virtually all recognise that “doing nothing” is NOT an option. This problem is far reaching and effects everyone not just developing countries. It is also closely linked to economic stability, growth and developing a sustainable and more profitable company – we know this to be true and if explained in detail some corporates in particular will, and do take action BUT many governments and companies are still ‘lack lustre’ in taking real and direct action. Talk is cheap it is actions that will make a more immediate difference and protect our future rather than deferring for short term gains. How do we keep getting this message across and re-educate as to the immediacy of the situation – we do not need yet another task force, we do not need bureaucracy. If this a route which has merit – can we not select a group of private sector multinational leaders or private sector associations to take the lead as they have the ability to take more immediate actions – it would need to be endorsed and have the stamp of approval from the UN/World Bank – can we do this, can we make this happen? Where do we start - can we volunteer - can we help?

Will Rogowski

United Kingdom

There are already ‘value for money’ innovative solutions available in areas such as water treatment such as Nereda to name one – relatively inexpensive investment, easier to manage and cheaper to run using 40% less energy. Why is the take up so slow – is it because you are unaware of new innovations or are budgets really too tight – if so how do we overcome this problem?

Francis Moijue

Sierra Leone

CLTS is working to some extent in Sierra Leone. However, there are many challenges associated with its scale up. Are there other strategies or alternative to CLTS in meeting the sanitation for all targets?

Francis Moijue

Sierra Leone

CLTS is working to some extent in Sierra Leone. However, there are many challenges associated with its scale up. Are there other strategies or alternative to CLTS in meeting the sanitation for all targets?

Nripendra Kumar Sarma

India

The most pressing challenges that need to be taken up, is the Drinking Water Security (Availability, Accessibility and Safety). Another important need of the hour is the proper redress for water quality related issues also. The increasing trend in the Chemical Contaminations of water to be used for Drinking purpose has nowadays turned out to be a serious concern, at least for the rural areas due to unaffordability / sustanability etc. There is an urgent need for upgradation of the present water purification technologies.
Notable challenge in connection with the seasonal scarcity due to the climate change / failure or absence of proper conservation approach also needs further emphasis keeping in view of the regional imbalances.
Moreover to extend the outreach for WASH activities, there should be a specific GOAL to concentrate on WASH and only on WASH alongwith other Goals, unlike it was in case of present MDG that WASH was a sub - Goal under Target - 7.
Secondly, the M&E on the GOALs should be more rigorous extended to the grass root level with great emphasis on every levels like, Country, State, District, Block, GP, Habitation etc.
Thanking All and wishing a Great Success to such High Level Consultation for eventual formulation of the future Road Map.
Regards.
Nripendra Kumar Sarma
Nagaon, Assam, India

Koushik Chatterjee

India

What has been your aid for sanitation and whether they have spend correctly in India. We could work contractually to create awareness in beaurocratic to rural levels. Do you have any filming plan of work done report. Have been attached with Discovery networks, BBC Fox etc.

Naoll MARY

Mexico

Water for all is a goal and a necessity, no discussion.
But is water for all 24/7/365 a sustainable goal ? Dos this objective make sense in term of infrastructure investment required ?

Dr Martin Currie

Mauritius

Do the panel see the main challenges in post-2015 'Sanitation & Water for All' to be financial, political or technological?
How would the panel rank the technological challenges, and where would they advise young technologists, academics and entrepreneurs to apply their efforts?

Ian Schwab

United States

To Sec Gen Ban Ki-Moon: How do you reconcile the UN's promotion of the right to water and promotion of water and sanitation for all with the UN's refusal to provide an avenue for adjudication for victims of cholera in Haiti and the UN's failure to accept responsibility for their role in the outbreak? What meaning is their in a promotion of a right to water when your institution stands at the forefront of a tragic violation of the right to water and a refusal to allow yourself to be held accountable in a fair way for the consequences of those actions?